Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanti Hubbard.
Hi Shanti, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been asked multiple times recently how I got started as a therapist and it’s made me really think about my journey and how I got here. I would have to say it began as a child who felt like their own existence was causing pain to those closest to me. My parents were divorced since I was not even a year old and growing up I felt like a rag doll that no one really wanted but wanted to say they “owned” just so the other wouldn’t have it. I had my first suicidal thought at the age of 5 and I just “knew” that if I wasn’t here my parent could live a life free from pain and each other. I never expressed this pain to my parents but somehow I ended up in therapy as a kid. I saw multiple therapists from elementary through high school. The last one I had in high school, I remember asking her how she could listen to people’s stories all day and not be hurt. She told me that you have to build a wall around your heart so the bad things don’t get in it. I held onto that thought. Throughout high school I noticed a lot of the people around me felt comfortable telling me things they wouldn’t share with anyone else. In fact, senior year of high school, within one week 3 of my friends had told me that at some point in their lives they had been raped by someone close to them. That Friday it felt like I broke. I cried so hard on my couch and when I was done crying I remember asking myself why this was being put on me. I decided to go to undergrad with a Psychology Premed major. I am so grateful for my Alma matter Xavier University of Louisiana! I was afforded so many opportunities not only in my academics but with professors that saw me and helped put me in places for success. I published twice in our undergraduate journal and also published a chapter in a textbook with a professor and some other classmates. I graduated Xavier on Deans List with a major in Psychology and a double minor in Chemistry and Philosophy. After undergrad, I received my first graduate degree from Cameron University in Oklahoma. During my time at Cameron I had to pick where I wanted to do my Practicum. I knew I wanted to work with Domestic Violence because it had such a strong prevalence in my life from my parents to multiple of my relationships. So I requested for the Domestic Violence agency in the area to become an approved location. It was at this agency that I began my work as a Domestic and Sexual Violence Counselor. I have heard and seen how truly cruel people can be to each other from all walks of life. When I started being the therapist in the room I remembered what my high school therapist told me about guarding my heart. I have since learned that a wall is not appropriate for the work I do. I have to make it a gate. A gate has a door and it is able to be seen from both sides while a wall keeps people, and myself, hidden. The people, I believe, I have been put here to work with deserve to be in a space where they feel heard, seen, understood, acknowledged, and safe. I cannot provide that if I block the important parts of me. I received my second Masters from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Forensic Psychology because my clients would constantly ask me questions about the criminal justice system and why their treatment was typically lackluster and unfair and I hated that I had no true answer to their questions. I wanted to be able to have a deeper understanding of the criminal justice system and be able to explain that understanding to my clients in laymen’s terms in order to provide realistic hope and truth. In my personal life, I have been a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault for most of my life. I now use my pain as a way to hold space for others to let them know that they are not alone. I am a big quote person and my clients hear a lot of them from me. A big one after “common sense ain’t common” is “no one person’s pain is greater than the next. At the end of the day hell is still hell.” People who have experienced tremendous pain believe that they don’t deserve to take up space because “someone” has it worse. I am here to tell them that it isn’t true! “It is being honest about our pain that makes us invincible.”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
None of my journey has been smooth. From depression being a part of my being from such a young age to the multiple abusive relationships I have been in. My life has constantly felt like a fight. During my first Masters I experienced most of the worst of the abuse I have been subjected to which included emotional, financial, and lots of sexual abuse. BUT I maintained a 4.0 GPA the whole time while raising 3 kids aged 3 and under. School has always been my happy place and I’m proud to say I shine there even when everything around me has felt dark.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently my title is Neuromodulation Therapist. I am trained and conduct three types of therapies which include traditional talk therapy (where my modalities are Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Neurofeedback, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
The population I mostly work with include those who have experienced trauma specifically but not limited to domestic violence and sexual assault. However, I also work with people who have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, Autism, ADHD, eating disorders, etc.
I have given multiple presentations and trainings, nationally and internationally, on domestic violence and sexual assault.
I am most proud of my academic achievements while going through some of the worst times in life. Not only did I maintain a 4.0 for my first masters but I received a 3.9 for my second masters in Forensic Psychology.
I believe my calm, peaceful spirit (according to those around me) sets me apart from many others especially in the work I do. Interestingly, my first name actual means “peace.” My clients know I’m passionate about what I do and a huge advocate for them in addition to teaching them how to become advocates for themselves.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am grateful that I have been able to walk into spaces where others have been able to offer me opportunities that have helped put me in positions to better my life. I advise others to go into places with an open mind and a smile. You never know who is looking your way and the energy you present in a room can be the determining factor for a perfect opportunity.
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